3/4/2014 AFFORDABLE HOUSING Minutes

Home Browse Search

1 Mashpee Affordable Housing Committee Meeting Minutes March 4, 2014 at 6:30 pm Waquoit Meeting Room, Mashpee Town Hall Present: Chairman Walter Abbott, Berkeley Johnson, Kalliope Egloff, Allan Isbitz CALL TO ORDER Chairman Abbott opened the meeting at 6:30 p.m. and the roll was called. Members of the Quashnet Valley Estates neighborhood introduced themselves as Tony Cocuzzo, Bruce Willard and Joe Marcus who were interested in learning more about plans for 209 Old Barnstable Road, Additionally, Leon Jacobs, Interim Housing Director for the Wampanoag Tribe, had been invited to attend tonight's meeting, as well as to become a member of the Committee. APPROVAL OF MINUTES-February 4, 2014 Ms. Egloff recommended that"Mr. Egloff' at the top of page 2 be changed to"Ms. Egloff." Mr. Johnson made a motion to approve the minutes as amended. Mr. Isbitz seconded the motion. All voted unanimously. OLD BUSINESS 209 Old Barnstable Road The Chairman reported that he and Mr. Johnson attended the recent Board of Selectmen meeting for the feasibility study presentation. The presentation was approximately 10 minutes in length and was of a more general nature. The Chair felt that the response was good, though the box turtle issue would need to be addressed. It was unclear who would be assigned to resolve the matter. The Chair suggested that two members of the Committee meet to discuss the possibility of a swap with land near Heritage Park. Chairman Abbott indicated that he would contact Natural Heritage in order to schedule a time to meet. Mr. Isbitz pointed out that Horsley Whitten looked at the issue on a preliminary basis and indicated knowledge and familiarity with the turtle issue, and suggested that the Town be encouraged to contract with the firm for a more in depth assessment. The Chair suggested a preliminary meeting first, noting that it was unclear whether funds remained from the study. Ms. Egloff recommended learning from the Town about the remaining funds and agreed with Mr. Isbitz about working toward a more streamlined approach. Mr. Isbitz pointed out that it would be an application process and likely not as costly, and emphasized the importance of Horsley Whitten's experience and ability to address the issue professionally. There was discussion regarding whether there was a procurement officer who could find out the costs associated with addressing the box turtle issue. The Chair recommended that Mr. Isbitz contact Horsley Whitten regarding the costs and the Assistant Town Manager regarding the available remaining funds. There was consensus among Committee members to move to the next step. Mr. Marcus referenced the presentation of the study results, noting that it lacked detail with qualifications, such as the box turtle count, which were not resolved. Mr. Isbitz pointed out that it was a preliminary study. Mr. Marcus stated that there were issues that had not been addressed. Ms. Egloff explained that a number of town-owned parcels had been considered but that 209 Old Barnstable offered the best potential to be considered for affordable housing and the feasibility study was initiated to ascertain whether the site would be a good fit for such a development, on a general basis. Chairman Abbott offered to email the report to Mr. Marcus.